Lesson learned: Don't even devise the idea that the Patriots are in trouble, and definitely not in September.

They still have the Super Bowl formula down — they never truly lost it — and all components have been on display during their seven-game win streak, now complete with a 34-9 win over the Lions on Sunday.

A week after pounding the Colts with 44 rush attempts, Bill Belichick gave the ball back to some guy named Tom Brady (53 pass attempts Sunday). The approach varies, but the results don't. New England can find your weakness and, especially with its offensive unit finally clicking, attack it.

The Pats have now taken out four division leaders (Bengals, Broncos, Colts, Lions) in different ways. You have a great pass defense? Fine, they have three capable running backs and, finally, steady offensive line play. You have a great run defense? Fine, one word: Brady — he'll get the ball out quick enough, as he always has, to make your pass rush irrelevant.

The Lions and Patriots both knew about the Week 12 mismatch at the line of scrimmage that favored Detroit. That didn't matter. New England's offensive line play has improved with solidity and scheme adjustments, and it's done so against all of the NFL's best defenses.

New England's ability to adapt to and conquer its opponent complements a suddenly complete and scary defense. The Patriots, with a young-but-athletic front seven, can rush the passer and defend the run. And good luck trying to beat Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner on the outside. Peyton Manning couldn't do it. Andrew Luck couldn't do it. Calvin Johnson couldn't do it.

Considering Denver's recent offensive struggles, the jam-packed nature of the AFC North and last week's beatdown over South-leading Indianapolis, New England is in good shape for home-field advantage come playoff time. Brady and Belichick are, um, pretty good at home.

With a quarterback who rarely makes mistakes, sudden success in the trenches and solidity in the secondary, the Patriots have what it takes to get back to a Super Bowl and, maybe, win one for the first time in 10 years.

But Belichick will be the first to tell you they're not there yet. Another division leader awaits in Green Bay next week. Another great defense, one that's more complete than Detroit's, awaits when Miami visits New England in a few weeks.

And then there's the playoffs, where the Patriots have at some point run out of gas in each of their last nine appearances. The Broncos, assuming they're able to fix the offensive line and get healthy, appear to be the biggest threat. It is one of a few teams in the league that doesn't have an obvious defensive weakness for the Patriots to exploit. Then again, the Week 9 scoreboard disagrees.

The tank is full right now, and the Patriots are getting great gas mileage on a trip that has been and will continue to be an uphill climb.